InnoLab
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Mercury OverviewBy Lee Hunter Jr, Decontamination SpecialistIt is surprising that in this day and age how much, or in fact how little, is known or understood of Mercury.Mercury has been around for some 4½ billion years (since the Earth was formed) and even though there
is evidence of man’s use of this fascinating element dating back over 3,000 years to utilize its immense
capabilities and inherent instability so little is actually known as a consensus. Still after vast analyticalmethodologies have been carried out and life altering health effects have been well documentedthrough history there is still an educational or general knowledge gap that allows compromised judgment and in some cases, blind ignorance to creep in when compared to other elements such asoxygen, hydrogen and uranium to name a few.With the current Industrial and Environmental impasse experienced within the Industrial Estates thepotential for health and environmental exposure to harmful toxins is too great to ignore.So w
hat’s the issue with Mercury? After
-
all, it’s just a metal that happens to remain in liquid form right?
No! Not quite. Mercury is actually a highly unstable metal that will readily react with most otherelements, chemicals, metal alloys, etc and while doing so is also constantly evaporating to release itsown toxic vapor.For an element that is nearly 14 times heavier than water (SG = 13.534) its vapor is also very dense at 7times heavier than air (6.93), while constantly vaporizing at 7µg/cm³/hour. Temperature has a directlinear effect of doubling the rate of vaporization for every 10°C increase. The International publishedacceptance levels are as follows:Workplace
OSHA
(
Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) = 0.100 mg/m
3
(100µg/m³)
NIOSH
(
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health)
Time Weighted Average (TWA) = 0.050 mg/m
3
over 8hrs/day for 40hrs/week
(50µg/m³)
ACGIH
(
American Council of Government Industrial Hygienist)
TWA =
0.025 mg/m
3
over 8hrs for 40hrs/week
(25µg/m³)
Short Term Exposure Limit (STEL) = 0.150mg/m³ for 15 mins
(150µg/m³)
Residential
EPA
(Environmental Protection Agency)Clean Up Action Level = 1,000ng
(1µg/m³)
Mercury has a fantastic ability to react with almost anything and in doing so can accelerate corrosion.Coupled with the ability to degrade process facilities and in the presence of certain commoncontaminants can actually enhance the combined effects to produce catastrophic results. One of themore readily known destructive scenarios is the continuous oxidation of Aluminium in the presence of Mercury.Normally Aluminium has a molecule thin layer of its own oxide on its surface which ordinarily protects itfrom further breakdown, however if Mercury comes into contact with the pure Aluminium below,through a recent scratch or surface cleaning process, this removes part of the protective oxide layer anda weak Mercury-Aluminium amalgam is formed. When this amalgam is exposed to air the Aluminiumoxidizes and flakes away leaving behind the Mercury amalgam to continuously repeat the process untilthe supply of amalgam has been exhausted.It is well documented, and known, of the corrosive effect Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) has on a carbon steelgas process system however under certain conditions and in the presence of Mercury the rate of corrosion can be up to 4 times greater. The presence of Mercury within a carbon steel gas processingsystem means that localized corrosion rates of up to 2-3 times the normal (liquid mercury-free)corrosion rate may be present in areas where large amounts of liquid Mercury albeit over long periodsof time, and inhibition is not present or ineffective.
Notice the point here about Mercury within a carbon steel process system…. Mercury is absorbe
d bysteel and as a rule-of-thumb, the higher the carbon content within the steel matrix, the greater theamount absorbed. There is no amalgamation or bonding involved in this phenomenon but Mercury isable to co-habit the steel grain boundaries alongside the carbon.The process of absorption is reversible which means that the Mercury can be desorbed from the steeland allowed to either re-evaporate into a vapor phase or re-dissolve into its elemental (liquid) phase.Mercury contamination increases over time and Austenitic stainless steels (type 304 or 316) that wouldnormally be corrosion resistant in a liquid Mercury-free condensate and gas environment can sufferpitting corrosion when liquid Mercury is present
. The same can be said for other steels…
Monel is not resistant to liquid Mercury at room temperature and has a corrosion rate that ranges fromcirca 0.5 mm/yr at room temperature to extremely rapid corrosion above 400°C. Hastelloy B andTitanium may suffer corrosion above 100°C. The presence of liquid Mercury in an Austenitic stainlesssteel, duplex stainless or other normally corrosion resistant alloy system means the corrosion resistancecannot be taken for granted.
There are methods in which to remove the Mercury from the steel’s matrix, usually pr
ior to wastedisposal or hot works (welding and/or grinding), involving chemicals or a combination of chemical andmechanical methods for faster results. Where normal working conditions within the hot Asian climatemay generate Mercury vapor levels of anywhere between 0.001-0.200mg/m³ (safe with the correctPPE), hot works can release over 17mg/m³ within a 2-3 minute timeline.
The main issue with the presence of Mercury for people is that, unknown to most people; it is highlytoxic and in some instances can be fatal. The body is able to accept Mercury through ingestion and skinabsorption but by far the most dramatic is the inhalation of its vapor. So when most people were beingtaught chemistry in schools and were given that fascinating liquid metal to play with, what no-one knew,was in fact vaporizing and releasing a readily absorbed gas which has no smell and cannot even be seenby the naked eye.Of the Mercury vapor that may be inhaled by an unprotected individual, approximately 80% will beabsorbed by the body
and despite the human body’s ability to excrete absorbed Mercury it does take
time. Inhaled Mercury vapor is quickly oxidized to mercurous Mercury in the blood and plasma. Itaccumulates in body tissues and organs where it is further oxidized and can cause serious neurologicalproblems, including premature blindness, memory loss, loss of balance and bowel movement. Severechemical poisoning causes death. The half-life of Mercury in the blood, bladder and bowels is typically 7days although Methylmercury can take up to 50 days to be removed.The concentrations are much higher in the kidneys and if Mercury is able to pass the blood-brain barrier(which it is more than capable of) into the brain. Typical half-life of mercuric Mercury in the kidneys is60-90 days with it taking several years to be removed from the brain. Of course, the amount of Mercuryabsorbed will depend on a number of facts including contaminant levels, temperature etc and willultimately have detrimental effects on the human body during its absorption period. It is alsobioaccumulative, in that additional exposure will only add to the amount in the body to create furtherproblems and this chronic poisoning is possible with low levels repeatedly over a long period of timethat will result in the same afflictions. Mercury has already been linked to autism, deformation, mentalretardation and death in unborn babies.Even as recently as August 1996 a well known professor of chemistry at Dartmouth College in the USsuccumbed to the fatal effects of dimethylmercury poisoning while studying mercury interaction withDNA repair proteins. Unfortunately the professor, a specialist in toxic metals, was poisoned in her labwhen only a few drops of the highly toxic dimethylmercury penetrated her latex gloves. Tests later
showed that the compound would’ve percolated her glove and rapidly
perfuse through her skin in about15 seconds. Symptoms were not immediately apparent but when the professor was admitted to hospitalfive months later, after suffering loss of balance and slurred speech, it was discovered that she had ablood mercury level of 4,000 µg (micrograms)/liter, which is 114 times the toxic threshold (toxic bloodlevel is now reported to be > 35µg/L with a normal range of 1-8µg/L).There are numerous other documented cases ranging from;
Klondike Gold Mines
–
Miners subject to occupational poisoning
Basra-Iraq, poison grain disaster
–
Methylmercury treated grain (used to prevent rot) stolen andgiven to locals,
6,500+ cases resulting in 459 ‘recorded’ deaths
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